Life, photos but not the universe

Weekends away

I’ve just returned from Z’s fabulous blog party♦♦♦. As always, a triumph, with wonderful food and simply lovely people. Was brilliant seeing you all again : ) And the extra bonus of Dave’s marvellous coffee!

Thank you so much darling Z : )

The week before, we went to Bampton for our annual morris dancing, camping festival. Another occasion for seeing old friends, most of whom we only see once a year and again, it was brilliant. I do like people! (The ones I like, that is. Obviously I don’t like the people I don’t like but this is rarely a problem as all three of them live a long way away.)

Anyway, I didn’t take many photos at either event and over the Bampton weekend I had a long conversation with a dear friend and it dawned on me that the reason I don’t take many photos of people is that I can’t do two things at once. If there are people around, I tend to talk to them♦. If I’m taking photos I just do that. The camera, I’ve realised, is not a communication device! And of course, it’s also true that unlike trees and landscapes, people don’t keep still long enough for me to get my camera settings right and make sure it’s not upside down or pointing the other way and that there aren’t too many distracting objects behind the subject and all that stuff.

Oh well. Here are some non-verbal photos.

Barney and Charlie playing their annual cribbage game at Bampton. (They barely knew I was there)

Wistaria and the small child. (She had no idea I was there)

People, sheep sculptures, the church steeple and Little Place in Bampton. I think this must once have been a joke, as, though there are bigger houses, this is definitely one of the biggest.

My youngest Granddaughter. She doesn’t really do verbal yet, so though she clearly knew I was there and had thoughts about it, we didn’t have to talk about it.

Devon♦♦, who is seven this year, dancing with the team for the first time. His Dad, David, (ponytail) also dances with them and his Grandad, Tony, retired as squire this year after dancing for fifty years. We knew Tony’s Dad, Bill, and watched them dance together twenty odd years ago.

Meanwhile, odd things have been happening in the kitchen back here at home. Barney loves to cook but isn’t so good at planning in advance. So he’s been saying shall I cook? Ok I say cheerfully. Then suddenly he’s been saying, Oh I forgot there was a cricket match on TV. You may have to take over. Um. Ok. I say slightly doubtfully. What needs doing? See, the problem is, I am one of those kinds of cook who has everything pre-chopped and arranged in little bowls and all the debris cleared away before I start heating things up. Barney is one of those kinds who reads the recipe and chops and fries and simmers and doesn’t clear anything up, all at the same time. Sometimes he can also talk while he is doing (or not doing) these things. I on the other hand get slightly ratty if I am expected to speak while cooking and am quite likely to say “It’s in the tomato (or whatever I’m chopping at the time)” if asked where the Radio Times has gone. Anyway, today, I found that Barney had chopped and sliced two bowls of onions and had peeled four tomatoes (no Radio Times though). Thing is, none of those were supposed to be in that curry. A bit of cross-page recipe reading going on I think. And now I understand why he said “there’s an awful lot of coriander here”.

Anyway, the curry was fine, Bampton was great and Zoe’s party was a complete pleasure from beginning to end. So that’s all good.

♦Barney assures me that I can’t talk and roll a cigarette for him at the same time so obviously taking photos is out of the question.

♦♦Yes we wondered too.

♦♦♦This is completely untrue – I actually returned days and days ago and have been to lots of other places since then. But I expect you know what I mean. If not, don’t worry.

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hello, thank you for today, I’m hope you’re home safe.
* sadly I think he may be right, you did stop talking today when using your hands.
(why does that sound smutty, it certainly wasn’t meant to!)
** where he was conceived is my guess but perhaps there be devon blood in ‘im.
*** and now you have really just returned from my lovely blog lunch haha

You are not the only one who didn’t take photos at Z’s party. At one time I would have my camera to hand and be snapping away all the time, now I rarely have it with me. I suspect it is because I know I can take photos with my phone and they will appear magically on my iPad I don’t carry my camera with me, yet in practice my phone is a method of quick communication and not recording events.

When I come to writing my blog I regret lack of photos, yesterday’s effort used Ian’s photos instead.

Also I don’t like selfies from a vanity point of view, they make my big wonky nose look even bigger.

About

Time for a change?

I take a lot of photos. I eat and drink a little (just a little) too much, read fast, play a violin slowly, love my kids, husband, cat, home, the English landscape, most other landscapes, music, the changing seasons, sparkle and texture and colour, my friends, my computer, my car ~ my life really. What more do you need?

I don’t sleep enough and I’m always late.
Well you can’t have everything.

Oh, and WP tells me you may occasionally see some advertisements here. I apologise if you do – they charge to have them blocked so I’m letting them be.